​My Dad was a dreamer and an engineer. The combination of the two created a man who shared with his son the concept of the “possible.” He taught me how to discover the possibility of turning dreams into reality and more importantly, “seeing” the possibilities that exist in our everyday travels, how a slight turn of the head changes perspective, and how your imagination can reveal possibilities within other possibilities. And of course, how this can be accomplished with a dash of discipline and hard work.

All this is not necessarily an easy skill to develop. It has been a life-long journey with many peaks and valleys, but always a journey that is fascinating, beautiful, and filled with endless wonder. It can be disappointing at times… okay, it can seem brutal at times, especially when technology is not there to make dreams become possible or those around you have difficulty embracing the possibility when the dream is not apparent, or even more disappointing, not having certain skills to create the reality. My Dad was disappointed many, many times but it never deterred him from his deep desire to examine and embrace the possibilities that existed for him. I miss you Dad and the endless possibilities you highlighted for me; thank you.

Years ago, I read a book that changed me “just enough.” It didn’t change the core of the person I was, but what it did was enhance what was already there in my core. It offered a lighted path to embrace the possibilities of life, my life. Who knows, maybe it will for those that choose to read the book now as well. The book is, “The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. It’s a beautiful and enlightening read that offers unique observations to everyday life, which is routinely taken for granted. It revealed what and how I could bring the authors’ discoveries to my life at home and my life in my career. The book delves deeply into what we as individuals do that inhibits us from fulfilling our own personal possibilities and how we might change our actions and perceptions for deeper lives.

The book fascinated for me on many levels, of which many were very, very personal. But what also fascinated me as I read the book was how I couldn’t help but feel euphoria for Coopersville. The book prompted me to explore broadly how possibilities influenced our community. That included the people I worked and collaborated with, not only within but outside the city as well. I was euphoric because there were people that witnessed and embraced the many possibilities that existed for Coopersville. They were, and still are, dreamers that clearly see the possibilities of this fine community.

I would love to name the people I’ve had the privilege to work with, but I don’t want to offend anyone that I might miss. But we have many “builders” here in Coopersville who embrace the possibilities that lie within all of us and within the geography of the city. They are the builders because they see the possibilities; they are the builders because they see the potential; they are the builders because they see the opportunities; they are the builders because they love and care for Coopersville. I applaud you each and every day because all of you deserve the recognition.

I would love to write so much more about this subject and how it relates to Coopersville. The subject matter touches my heart, soul, and mind deeply, but this is not the format nor do I have the time. My tenure as Coopersville’s City Manager is drawing to a close and it is important to me to share how critical it is to embrace the “possibilities” that wait to be owned by a future builder. Is that you? We cannot survive with only the status quo. We cannot survive without vision. We cannot survive without discovery.

However, we can survive because we embrace the possible and are willing to work, to provide the resources, and make the possible our new friend and ally. Embracing possibilities is not about leaving behind one thing for another. It’s about standing in the present with our eyes on the future vision. It’s about appreciating the now, the reality, and the possible.

“If I were to wish for anything I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of what can be, for the eye, which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating as possibilities?”

SOREN KIERKEGAARD, Either/Or

Monday night we have two Scheduled Guests, Coopersville-Polkton Township Fire Authority to honor city employees Keith Schaffer and Austin Edmondson and Ottawa County Water Commissioner Joe Bush to present on the Eagle Ridge Drain District Special Assessment.

We have a rather full agenda so please contact me if you have any type of question. There may be one, maybe two items you might want to postpone but if I can answer questions prior to the meeting we may avert this. The month of May is when we have to take action on the next fiscal year’s budget. DRAFT D is not too different than DRAFT C, except for a couple of expenditures we inadvertently omitted in DRAFT C. Please contact me if you have questions. Just an FYI, Keri Rogers will not be in attendance at our June council meeting. June is when action is taken on budget amendments for the current fiscal year. Ms. Rogers will have provided me with all of the reasons for the budget amendments.

Pocket Park ConstructionThis week we had a final inspection and “punch list” review for the Pocket Park. The water feature is working and maybe a few of you have witnessed the water jets reaching for the sky. The LEDs that light up the water at night are turned off at this time to resolve an issue having to do with electrical codes of Michigan not agreeing with the building codes of Canada, where the water unit was fabricated. We are assured however, that this minor delay is close to resolution. It’s a joy to see people already using the park to sit, relax, and just explore this beautiful addition to our historical downtown.

Water Project – Phase IWe will be having a Special Council Meeting soon in May to discuss the status and the timeline of this project. There are a couple of action items needed from you so that certain preliminary, but critical, tasks can be completed before actual quotes can be pursued.

WWTP Effluent Pump – UV Chamber ProjectI can provide some details on this project Monday night. I’m waiting for a couple of details on the timeline as of this writing.

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